


my hands, your hands, tied up like two ships

by merlypops



Series: 5SOS Song Oneshots [24]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Angst, Boys In Love, But only briefly mentioned, Depression, Happy Ending, Injury, Kissing, Luke is the First Mate on a ship, M/M, Michael is the captain's son, Minor Character Death, Rescue, Sad with a Happy Ending, Sailing, Set a few hundred years ago probably, Ship, Shipwrecks, this is actually quite cute in parts i promise
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-01
Updated: 2017-03-01
Packaged: 2018-09-27 16:51:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10034720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merlypops/pseuds/merlypops
Summary: ‘Michael was soft against him, pale and willowy where Luke was muscles and strength, and he found it strange that the captain had ever believed his son belonged on a ship.Luke thought Michael belonged in a painting somewhere, sitting safe in a meadow surrounded by flowers and long, swaying grass. If they survived this shipwreck, Luke was going to make that happen. He swore it.’Michael is Luke's whole world and Luke would do anything to keep him safe.Based on "Strong" by One Direction.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [likepapermagnets](https://archiveofourown.org/users/likepapermagnets/gifts).



> because Chel is the sweetest, loveliest person and she's super lovely to me, and I wanted to gift her with this weird fic to say thank you for that.
> 
> I've been so focused on writing Tempest at the moment but I really wanted to just give myself a little break - I gave myself two hours to write something completely different and this is what I came up with.  
> It's a bit weird maybe and definitely not what I usually write about but I hope you'll all like it and I figured you couldn't go wrong with a Muke fic.  
> Fingers crossed you'll like this!

When Michael opened his eyes, Luke knew everything was going to be okay.

Fragments of their ruined ship littered the beach around them but the gentle sunlight was warming them as they lay together on the beach and Luke’s head was cushioned on Michael’s chest as they clung to a charred piece of deck that had saved their lives the night before.

The storm had roared to life out of nowhere, the lightening rending the night sky apart as the tarred ropes on the ship caught alight, the flames licking up into the salty air.

Fire on a ship was any sensible sailor's worst nightmare but Luke had never been very sensible. It didn’t seem to matter that he was the First Mate on the ship; that he ranked immediately under the captain and, as such, should have been a lot more helpful during an emergency.

All of Luke’s training and logical thought went flying out of the metaphorical window when the mast began to creak ominously, the dull cracking sound of breaking wood heart-stopping in the churning ocean. Huge waves rushed over the side and, although it extinguished most – but not all – of the flames, it swept a crewman away into the hungry ocean too and the sailors shouted out in dismay as they leapt from their stations, beginning to desperately bail out the water flooding the ship.

The mast gave a cracking sound and, suddenly, the sail was flapping wildly. The flames had burnt through the ropes and the yardarm snapped out in the wind. The moon was hidden behind thick clouds tonight and the rain pounded the deck, running down Luke’s face like tears.

The captain had abandoned the wheel now and the ship listed heavily to one side as the mast splintered, sending the colossal trunk of wood slamming down thunderously onto the ruined vessel as the sea water poured over the side. Cutting the snarl of ropes and sail material free would do nothing now because the ship was already sinking.

Luke noted all of this with a numb sort of terror, even as he became aware that he was staggering through the mess of freezing water and splintered wood, tearing his clothes and his hair and his _skin_ but utterly uncaring of it because there, standing frozen in absolute horror, was Michael.

From the very moment Luke had first laid eyes on him, the captain’s son had become his whole world. Michael was witty and amusing, and his piercing green eyes sparkled like emeralds when he escaped the cabin he shared with his father to spend time with the blond First Mate. Luke loved him with his whole heart; loved how Michael’s personality could fill a room even despite how tiny he was.

The nineteen year old looked smaller than ever now as he staggered back down onto the deck when another wave hit, his black hair tangled and messy from the wind. His skin was as pale as bone in his terror and there was a bloody gash above his left eye. Luke’s rage took him by surprise when he realised that Michael must have been injured when the storm first hit.

“Mike!” he shouted but the wind threatened to steal his voice and Luke pushed closer, struggling through the icy water that was slowly numbing him. The black-haired man’s eyes settled on Luke and the sudden relief blazing across his face made a lump rise in Luke’s throat. He knew Michael had always held him in something like awe but did the younger man _really_ believe Luke could fix things now?

The crew were dying around them and the ship was sinking miles away from any coast, and Luke had all but given up. The mast was destroyed and the ship was gradually sinking beneath the surface, and only the last third of the deck was above water now. Luke gripped a charred rope and used it to haul himself closer, his fiery blue eyes locked on Michael’s face as the black-haired man reached for him desperately.

His fingers curled around Luke’s wrist and the First Mate found himself being dragged out of the water with surprising ease. Michael didn’t have much in the way of muscles but his desperation leant him strength. He was shivering in the cold air and the gash was worse up close; it would scar something terrible and Luke wanted nothing more than to kiss his pain away but now was _definitely_ not the time.

Even if it hadn’t been a crisis situation, relationships aboard the ship had always been frowned upon and for the First Mate to fall in love with the captain’s _son_? It simply wasn’t done… not that that had stopped Luke and Michael though. Not even the storm could do that.

“Are you okay?” the blond man asked desperately, cradling Michael’s face in his hands as he tilted it gently, gazing sympathetically at the sluggishly bleeding cut. Since head wounds were notorious for bleeding a ridiculous amount, Michael must have got hurt a little while ago and Luke saw the evidence of that in the dried blood liberally streaking the black-haired man’s beautiful face.

“No!” Michael choked out and the panic in his eyes cut Luke to the core. “We’re going to die, Lu! The ship is sinking and we never got the chance to tell my father how we felt and –”

“I already know,” the captain said, appearing behind them. His face was streaked with blood, his hair drying stiff with saltwater. His hat was gone, his trousers ripped. His stance remained strong and brave though; it reminded Luke of why he’d been so proud to join the crew almost four years previously when he’d just turned eighteen.

“You… knew?” Luke blurted out stupidly and the captain gave him a long look, the faintest hint of a tired smile touching his lips. The surviving crew were giving up around them now, clambering higher to the relative safety of the last bit of deck still jutting out of the freezing water. The Quartermaster who was leaning heavily nearby shot the pair a slightly knowing look, his hazel eyes gleaming even as his honey-coloured curls were plastered to his forehead with a mixture of water and blood.

“You two were really obvious,” he pointed out and Luke’s cheeks flamed as he wrapped his arms around Michael automatically. The younger man was soft against him, pale and willowy where Luke was muscles and strength, and he found it strange that the captain had ever believed his son belonged on a ship.

Luke thought Michael belonged in a painting somewhere, sitting safe in a meadow surrounded by flowers and long, swaying grass. If they survived this shipwreck, Luke was going to make that happen. He swore it.

“We can’t save the ship,” the captain said and his voice was carefully measured but Luke could hear the bone-deep sadness in it, not for the boat itself – although undoubtedly that broke his heart – but for the crew who had been lost; for the memories that they had made together. “There’s no one else around and we’re too far away for any towns to see us now. The ship will sink.” He swallowed audibly, fighting down his fear so that he could be brave like the crew needed him to be. “But I need you to save my son, Hemmings. I can go down with the ship tonight at peace if I know he has a chance of survival.”

“Dad,” Michael said weakly and his voice was wet now as the tears boiled down his pale cheeks. “Dad, please. You don’t have to do this.”

“I do,” the captain said and his voice was stern but his eyes were gentle enough that Luke had to look away, unable to stand the pained love in them. “It’s my duty. But it’s not yours. You can get to safety maybe and… and you can carry on. You can live instead of just _survive_. You can be **happy**. That’s all I’ve ever wanted for you.”

It was no secret that Michael grew depressed sometimes and Luke’s heart ached when he realised the captain had known all along; that he hadn’t been as uncaring as he sometimes tried to pretend. Luke gripped the captain’s shoulder gently and the older man held his gaze, his jaw squared against whatever emotions were welling inside him.

“I’ll do everything in my power to keep him safe,” Luke promised and Michael let out a little sob, rushing forwards to bury his face in his father’s neck. Luke’s sword had been washed away in the waves now and he unbuckled his scabbard, throwing it carelessly behind him. He wouldn’t need it anymore and it would only hinder him if – or rather, _when_ – he needed to swim.

The water was lapping at his boots now and Luke backed away a little which was more difficult than he’d been imagining; the angle of the deck made it feel like he was climbing uphill and the ominous creaking had returned as a crack crept delicately across the deck. More icy water pushed up through the gap and the captain’s broken sigh sounded loud in the silence as he rested his hand gently on the wheel.

“It’s time,” he said, giving his son one last squeeze before he pushed him gently but firmly into the First Mate’s arms. “If you – No, _when_ you make it to shore…” The captain’s bottom lip was wobbling but he managed a watery smile as he cupped Michael’s face gently. His palm came away slick with blood. “Tell your mother I love her, will you? And that I’m sorry?”

Michael pressed his lips together so hard they went bloodless but he gripped his father’s hand tightly. Luke just pressed a kiss to Michael’s soft black hair and tried to hold back his tears.

“I will, dad,” the younger man murmured, his voice thick with unshed tears. “I promise. I know Luke will keep me safe. He always does.”

Everything happened very quickly after that.

The crack in the deck opened up and the mast finally ripped free, the cracking sound terrifyingly final in the inky darkness. The deck jolted under their feet and they were all thrown forwards. Michael pitched down into the water, his head striking one of the oar benches that was partially submerged, and he didn’t get up again as the terror on his expression faded to nothing at all.

A wordless cry of panic escaped Luke as he lunged after him, his arms wrapping tightly around the younger man as he dragged him out of the water, his heart racing so fast that he could barely breathe. The captain was waist-deep in water now and his eyes were hollow as he looked at his son held limply in the First Mate’s arms.

“You keep him safe, Hemmings!” the captain shouted as another enormous wave rushed over them, icy water raining down as the thunder rumbled ominously overhead. “You don’t let any more harm come to him; do you understand me? Save him!”

“I will!” Luke cried as he reached wildly for a broken piece of decking that was floating nearby, his other arm unbreakable around Michael’s soft waist. “I swear it!”

The tallest point for miles around was the tip of the ship protruding out of the ocean now and Luke sensed the lightning before it struck; felt the hairs on the back of his neck rising as Michael groaned quietly in pain from where he was cradled semi-conscious against the older man’s chest.

“Go!” the captain shouted and Luke leapt over the side, Michael’s body jarring against his like a ragdoll as they hit the icy water hard. It punched the breath from Luke’s lungs but he tightened his grip on Michael and dragged them both up onto the piece of decking. The splinters pierced Luke’s fingertips but he only held on tighter; he would not allow anything to hurt Michael now. He’d made a promise and he loved the black-haired man more than he could put into words.

He would keep him safe. He _had_ to. There was no other option Luke would consider.

The ship was aflame behind them now, the crackle of the flames and the thick black smoke masking the scent of ozone that had accompanied the lightning.

The water was freezing as it lapped around them and Luke wondered if the cold would kill them before they drowned, not that there was anything he could do about that. All he _could_ do was wrap his arm tightly around Michael’s chest, desperately try to keep the smaller man’s head above the water, and cling on to the piece of wooden plank he’d managed to grab before the whole ship had gone under, trusting it to keep them afloat.

Luke began to kick his legs in an effort to get them away from the wreck but it was so difficult; he had no idea what direction the closest coastline was in and it was impossible to see in the dark anyway.

It was all down to luck now.

The cold water was sapping his strength and Michael’s head lolled back against Luke’s shoulder as he finally lost the battle with consciousness.

As the sky gradually began to lighten overhead, they drifted.

Everything blurred into fear and numbness somewhere around dawn but Luke refused to stop kicking his legs, still propelling them through the water. He had made out the dim shadowy line of cliffs on the horizon an hour or two previously and he felt half-delirious now – parched and exhausted – but Michael was shivering violently against him, his eyes stubbornly shut as the blood on his head dried, and Luke had never let him down before.

He refused to start now.

They reached the beach an hour later and Luke’s insides were churning with the salt water he’d choked on every time a wave had crashed over them, threatening to send the pair of them plunging to their deaths. He’d kept fighting though and now he could see the seabed close beneath, and the waves were almost gentle as they delivered them onto the beach, sending the piece of decking scraping lightly over the pebbles before it came to a stop in the sand.

Luke’s head ached and his muscles were screaming at him but he was alive. Somehow, they were _both_ alive.

People from the town nearby were beginning to appear now, offering help and fresh water, but Luke barely noticed them as he peered at Michael through bleary eyes, feeling his heart skip a beat in his chest when the younger man finally, _finally_ woke up.

His expression was exhausted and pained, and he seemed weak which was probably to be expected as his hands fluttered up to hold Luke’s shoulders. Michael was gazing at Luke with something like wonder as his mouth dropped open in surprise. His green eyes were gritty with sand and sore from the saltwater and, although the blood had mostly been washed away now, the cut on his head still looked livid against his snowy skin. His cherry-red lips were bitten raw.

He was the single most beautiful thing Luke had ever seen.

The storm had passed now, and Michael’s green eyes were soft and _ridiculously_ loving.

His lips tasted like salt when the blond man ducked his head to kiss him.

Luke loved Michael more than anything and he would do everything in his power to keep the younger man safe.

Michael was Luke’s whole world.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!  
> Please let me know what you thought <3


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